


Get woke, Tom.

by rainbowrabblerouser



Category: Succession (TV 2018)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Coming Out, Humor, M/M, it's barely Tom/Greg but can be interpreted as such, more like tags I saw on a post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28762200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowrabblerouser/pseuds/rainbowrabblerouser
Summary: Greg accidentally outs himself in an offhand comment. The Roys don't care. Tom kinda does.
Relationships: Greg Hirsch & Roy Siblings, Greg Hirsch/Tom Wambsgans
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Get woke, Tom.

**Author's Note:**

> based on tags on one of my succession memes
> 
> https://rainbowrabblerouser.tumblr.com/post/637723134377836544/hello-lgbt-succession-community

When Greg comes out to the Roys, he doesn’t realize it. It’s more of an offhand comment if anything. It just slips out because he forgets that people even still make it a whole big deal. But then again, with the Roys, everything is a big deal. Hell, they were the owners of a media conglomerate with a huge conservative following. It’s just that personally, they didn’t really act like it. 

“I mean, that wouldn’t even work out. Like– look at me, I’m gay!”

It’s in response to Roman jokingly insisting that they “use Greg” to distract a shareholder who is apparently “into tall ass dudes” or something phrased like that. Greg had learned to not think much about what his cousin said since most of what he blurted out was awful and contributed to his reputation of being a widely horrible person. Or just plain rude.

But Greg had to respond. Of course he did. He didn’t want to be their tool, especially when it wouldn’t even work. He’s sure Shiv would be able to distract the lady they were trying to trick anyways. She had a better way with words. And she worked in politics. Maybe he should have said that instead, but now it’s too late and he’s out.

He looks down at his cousins’ faces and it’s as if nothing happened. Like Greg was discussing something as casual as what they were going to do for lunch. Roman snorts and claps his hands together like he had gotten the reaction he wanted from a riled-up Greg. Meanwhile, Shiv’s eyes lock with Greg’s for just a second, then the next, she’s shrugging and turning to her brothers. 

Kendall shakes his head and for a moment, Greg thinks he’s going to snap at him, but he soon realizes that Kendall was expressing disapproval of Roman’s ridiculous joke of a plan to use him. Connor doesn’t say anything; he had that blank look on his face that Greg thought meant that he was daydreaming or thinking deeply about his next move. Whichever it was, it was distracting enough that Connor only perked up to pay attention when Kendall gained control of the conversation once more, leading as the eldest sibling despite being the second. 

“Guys, we need to think of a way to get this shareholder away from Dad for longer than a meeting,” Kendall declares as he separates his hands from the clasp he had them in a moment ago for emphasis. Greg sometimes thought Kendall could be dramatic in his own way. “If we’re going to get the geezer, we got to–”

“Wait!” 

And there it is. Greg shut his eyes as soon as the only voice that hadn’t spoken up chimed in. There he was, thinking he was home free, but Greg had forgotten that this family discussion included the family on executive positions (and Connor), meaning that of course, the person who had to extend the moment was there. 

Tom. 

The Roy siblings all paused. They looked like mannequins for a J.Crew as they stopped and only moved their heads to face Tom. It’s an interesting sight. Roman’s sitting upside down on the couch with Connor next to him, hunched forward head in his hands and elbows bent at his knees in a Thinker pose. Kendall stands by a tall wingback chair next to them, one hand on the top rail, and Shiv sits cross-legged in the chair, heels off. 

They’ve got on clothes that combined cost more than Greg’s rent in Canada. All adults in business attire and yet none of them agree to sit properly in a chair. They’re adult children, really. And Greg was the new kid they let play with them, but recently, Greg’s starting to feel like this game of Tag! You’re It (Successor) isn’t as fun as it looked from across the field. Currently, Greg was in the wingback chair opposite of Shiv’s, sitting on the other side, next to Roman.

Tom wasn’t sitting; in fact, he had just entered the room when Greg had said his truth. Greg had forgotten he was even here because he had stepped out of the room to take a call. Something important since he refused to just walk to the other side and answer it there. 

After a moment of silence, Connor spoke up for the first time Greg can remember in a bit, saying, “What, Tom?”

Greg turned to face him and Tom’s standing awkwardly at the halfway point from the door to their little area. Phone in one hand, the other twirling in front of him to convey “Rewind!”

Tom stutters as he tries to blurt it out. Greg can see Kendall shift to lean against the back of the chair, growing impatient. 

“It’s just that– Greg…” Tom dramatically paused. Greg rolled his eyes. Oh, here we go. “...is gay?”

Roman snorts again as Connor sighs and Shiv gives Tom a glare less of anger but more of somewhat embarrassment. Greg feels his face heat up. Oh God. This was a mistake. He shouldn’t have come to the meeting today. Maybe he shouldn’t have even gotten so involved to be part of this strange family plan to overtake his obscenely rich great-uncle’s company. Maybe he should have never joined Kendall in his effort to–

No. Greg’s not going to show panic. He’s going to handle this. 

He can barely get a word out when he hears Kendall say, “And what about it?”

Greg can only clear his throat in an attempt to try to find the words.

In the same breath, Kendall mutters, “Get woke, Tom.” Then, with a swift head turn, he’s back to scheming with his siblings. The conversation slips back to taking Logan down and it was as if nothing ever happened. 

Tom nods and walks forward to join them. He looks flushed and almost shameful as he tries to find a place and settles for standing in the space between Roman and Greg. 

The siblings get caught up in their discussion and seem to block out the rest of the world so they don’t notice Tom and Greg’s sidebar conversation.

“Sorry about that, Greg. It’s just that you never told me!” Tom sharply whispers. He leans down to get closer to him. “I thought I knew everything about you by now.”

Greg looks up and searches Tom’s expression, deducing from Tom’s furrowed brow and wide eyes that he meant the apology with unadorned sincerity. 

“Well, it never came up. So, I never mentioned it!” Greg fires back. They were in a place where whisper fights were commonplace for their sidebar conversations rather than some weird ritual Greg had assumed was just a Tom thing. 

“Why’d you mention it now?”

“Because Roman was trying to prostitute me for the sake of distracting one of Logan’s shareholders!”

Tom chuckled at that and Greg resisted the urge to playfully punch Tom, a mannerism that rubbed off on him after months of hanging out with Tom teasing him with light taps. 

“Yeah, it wouldn’t have worked, then,” Tom said with an eye roll.

The Roy siblings keep bickering about their plan while Tom and Greg discuss something the siblings wouldn’t care to dwell on.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: rainbowrabblerouser


End file.
